Kents Bank Station Library recently hosted a community rail focused visit celebrating the role of stations as local hubs, welcoming three ‘Year in Industry’ students from Leeds and Manchester universities to the unique volunteer run library in Cumbria.

The Station Library is a community interest company staffed entirely by volunteers and manages a collection of more than 10,000 railway and transport related books. It is open to the public and free to use.

Northern’s Year in Industry programme offers paid industrial placements, giving students practical experience while supporting community rail, sustainability and local engagement projects across the network.

Dr Paul Salveson, the Library’s Manager, said: “It was a delight working with the young people – they made a big difference to the library and hopefully it will be the first of more ‘Year in Industry’ student visits.

Matilda Lowthorpe, from University of Manchester, said: “My time volunteering at Kents Bank Station Library was amazing. The extensive collection of railway and transport books, including those exploring women in rail and overseas rail travel, combined with the library’s unique and welcoming atmosphere, made it a truly memorable experience.”

Daniel Craig, from University of Leeds, said: “We helped to set up some shelving to allow additional storage space for the growing collection of railway literature stored at the Station Library; it was really interesting to hear about the history behind its growth and the plans for the Library’s future.”

Dan Feldman, from University of Leeds, said: “We really enjoyed seeing the work the volunteers do at Kents Bank and the depth of the collection, very impressive! I found it very interesting to learn about a small but meaningful part of the Northern rail network.”

Martin Keating, Northern’s community and sustainability manager commented: “A big thank you to Northern’s Year in Industry students, who recently visited Kents Bank Station Library to help out and learn more about community rail. This visit presented an excellent opportunity for Northern’s Year in Industry students to engage with the communities whom we serve.”

John Kitchen, volunteer librarian, said: “We would be very pleased to host more similar visits in the future. The students enjoyed themselves and made a big contribution to the Library.”

Learn more about the work of Kents Bank Station Library here.